SYDNEY, Aug. 22, 2016 — (PRNewswire) — Sydney, Australia-based virtual reality studio
Start VRtransports viewers into the next generation of "choose-your-own-adventure" series with a vintage Film Noir twist in a new murder mystery VR experience, "VR Noir," now available for download on Samsung Gear and Google Cardboard. The virtual reality experience places viewers in the first-person perspective of Veronica Coltrane, a former cop-turned P.I., struggling to make ends meet in the throes of a child support battle. When a woman walks into Veronica's office asking for help locating her husband, the viewer is faced with a difficult decision. Is Mrs. Stackhouse truly a woman in grief? Or is something far more sinister going on?

Click
HERE to download VR Noir in the Samsung Gear Store,
HERE for iTunes and
HERE for Google Play.

"VR Noir" was conceived by Start VR Executive Producer Nathan Anderson, who brings extensive experience creating mysteries for mobile apps to the world of VR filmmaking. After viewing many passive VR experiences, Anderson had the idea to elevate the level of interactivity and engagement within the burgeoning medium.

"We wanted to explore how film and gaming VR experiences could live together," says Anderson. "Can you have a cinematic experience that also allows you to have some agency in the outcome? My career quest is to find the convergence of storytelling, game design and interactivity."

Noir was the ideal genre for Start VR to begin their experiment. "Detective stories are a familiar genre," says VR Supervisor Martin Taylor. "We started from a familiar place where all the tropes are well known – a lonesome main character, a femme fatale, a mystery to solve. Then we placed it in the unfamiliar medium of VR."

"VR Noir" is a co-production between Start VR, The Australian Film TV and Radio School (AFTRS.edu.au) and VFX house, FSM (fsm.com.au). "VR Noir" debuted on the Samsung Gear and Google Cardboard headsets after a successful launch at the Sydney Vivid Festival and Montreal Film Festival.